Cynic in Seattle

Experimental rock band Cynic appears for a rare Northwest concert this Tuesday, July 8 at Neumos. The Los Angeles-based group will perform songs from their highly acclaimed recent release “Kindly Bent to Free Us” on Season of Mist records.

Combining elements of metal, jazz, prog, and punk, Cynic has defied simple categorization since their first recordings were released over 20 years ago. The new album is by turns forceful and meditative, infused with a sense of informal sophistication. Each piece is highly composed yet structured in a manner that allows for the kind of improvisation that should make their live performance memorable.

Two members of the band, Paul Masvidal and Sean Reinert, recently came out as gay in a Los Angeles Times feature story. Masvidal recalls an early 90s tour with Cannibal Corpse where they were concerned for their personal safety at the hands of notoriously intolerant metal heads. The atmosphere has surely changed. In a city that only last week celebrated diverse sexuality, Cynic is likely to find an eager audience for their unique brand of progressive metal. Opening acts Lesser Key (feat. Paul D’Amour of TOOL) and We Are the City. 21+.